Key facts at a glance

A 360 ° view of the characteristics of balsam

• Plant family: balsamic plants
• Lifespan: one year
• Origin: Central Asia (especially East India)
• Habit: upright, up to 2 m high
• Leaves: lanceolate, toothed, green
• Flowers: racemose, pink, fragrant
• Fruits: capsule fruits
• Seeds: brown-black, spherical, edible
• Location: sunny to shady
• Soil: nutrient-rich, moist
• Maintenance: no maintenance necessary
• Propagation: self-sowing
• Special features: neophyte, poisonous, rich nectar supply

It can often be found there

Impatiens - as the balsam is also called - prefers to colonize moist locations. It can also cope with wet substrates without any problems. It prefers nutrient-rich soils. You can find balsam in damp forests, in parks, on riverside zones, on roadsides and on wasteland.

Outward appearance: This is what makes balsam!

From the flat roots arise upright stems that are well branched at the end. The stems are round in cross-section and their color is pale green. On the petioles are lanceolate leaves up to 25 cm long. They are serrated on the edge and are arranged opposite to whorled around the up to 2 m high stems.

From the flowers

The 2.5 to 4 cm long pharynx flowers turn Indian balsam into a pretty ornamental plant. They are racemose inflorescences that consist of up to 15 individual flowers. These have a very sweet smell and are pink to white in color. The flowering period lasts from June to October.

The fruits and seeds

The fruits also look interesting. They are capsule fruits. They are 1.4 to 1.8 cm (less often up to 5 cm) tall. Each capsule fruit contains up to 15 seeds. The seeds are 3 mm in size and black-brown. As soon as the seeds are ripe, the capsules explode. The seeds are shot up to 7 m.